Mrs. Thorburn publishes a faithful record of her little girl's spontaneous activities uninterrupted by suggestions from without. The child's play during the first four years of life was observed at intervals and noted. Both its general trend at certain ages and some periods in greater detail are described. The book has a Foreword by Dr. Susan Isaacs and ends with the conclusions the author draws from the observations she has made. She deduces from the play ways in which the child meets emotional difficulties,